Sheffield's most devoted cinema fan leaves legacy to launch community movie theatre

A legacy left by the late Dr Clifford Shaw, former chair of the Sheffield Film Society, is being used to launch a new community cinema based in Broomhall.
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Broomhall Community Cinema will launch this week and will transform The Broomhall Centre into a cinema for its first screening: Benda Bilili! - a 2010 documentary which follows a group of disabled musicians from the Congo on their European tour.

Dr Shaw left the legacy to Cinema For All, a national organisation that supports community-led cinema, to support their work both locally and nationwide.

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Dr Shaw, who was also Sheffield’s former Officer for Health, saw almost every film that was released in the UK – from blockbusters to special one-off screenings and was a familiar face to all Sheffield cinema-goers.

Cinema For All allocated the money after Jack de Aguilar, digital and admin assistant at the Broomhall Centre, and volunteer, Nicole Kelly, approached them with the idea of creating a safe and inclusive space where members of the community can come and enjoy films at an affordable price.

Jaq Chell, Operations and Development Manager at Cinema For All, said “We’re very grateful to Dr. Shaw for remembering Cinema For All in his will. Film brings people together in a way that combats loneliness, brings communities together and inspires creativity, so his support will be helping to create something very special in Broomhall. He was a real fan of cinema spaces, so I know that he would be pleased to see his support help create a new community cinema in Sheffield.”

Jack de Aguilar, digital and admin assistant, said: “We’ll be screening a diverse selection of films, ensuring they’re always accessible, affordable and inclusive. We’ll also be showing crowdpleasers too. From old classics to modern masterpieces. Also in the pipeline is a screening to celebrate International Women’s Day, as well as a tribute to Dr. Clifford Shaw, where we will be showing one of his all-time favourite films.”

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The Broomhall Community Cinema has also been supported by the Cinema For All Yorkshire Group, through the Pay It Forward scheme, whereby existing community cinemas can help to establish new groups.

Broomhall Community Cinema will launch on Sunday, January 29. Doors open at 6.30pm and there is a suggested donation of £3 on the door. For more information follow Broomhall Community Centre on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/1066075000187372/